The Trump administration is looking to extend its pressure campaign against diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives well past U.S. borders, after demanding that companies in France, Italy, Spain and Belgium roll back their DEI policies.

According to The New York Times, several companies based out of EU countries received a letter from the U.S. State Department on March 28, asserting that President Trump's executive order banning DEI practices for federal contractors also applies to any firm that does business with the U.S., regardless of their nationality. The letter gave companies five days to sign a form confirming that they would comply with the order, adding that the U.S. government would look at potential legal action against anyone that refused. 

Read More: Will the End of Corporate DEI Programs Scuttle Supplier Diversity Efforts?

In an interview with French news broadcast network BFMTV, French Minister for Gender Equality Aurore Bergé said that French companies "don't plan to change their policies," and that forcing firms to comply with Trump's demand is "out of the question." Belgian Deputy Prime Minister Jan Jambon responded similarly, telling French-language TV station RTL-TVi that "we have no lessons to learn from the boss of America." Politico reports that France's trade ministry labeled the attempt to interfere with French companies "unacceptable."

Attempts to quash DEI programs in the U.S. have been met with mixed results. Shareholders for both Apple and Costco overwhelmingly voted down recent proposals challenging each company's DEI initiatives, although several other U.S. corporations have either ended or scaled back their own programs, including Amazon, Walmart, Meta, Boeing and Ford among others.